US Says Iran is the World's Leading Sponsor of Terrorism

US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley in Rome (AP)
US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley in Rome (AP)
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US Says Iran is the World's Leading Sponsor of Terrorism

US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley in Rome (AP)
US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley in Rome (AP)

US State Department spokesman Ned Price described Iran as "the world's leading sponsor of terrorism."

During a press briefing in Washington, Price commented on the European Parliament's resolution to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization.

He confirmed that this is a recognition by European partners that "Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism. There is no more nefarious exporter of international terrorism than Iran."

He pointed out that "there is no disagreement between the United States and our European allies on this. We're also clear-eyed about the need to cooperate to counter the threats posed by the IRGC over the past – well, certainly in recent years."

Referring to the suppression of widespread protests in Iran during the past months, Price noted that Europe, the United States, countries around the world, and regions around the world "have seen all too vivid demonstrations of the lethality of the IRGC, of its repugnant willingness to take innocent lives in its operations."

"We're committed to continuing to work with the EU and with other allies and partners on this very challenge."

He stressed that the United States condemned any threat to US citizens, noting that "we take such real threats seriously, and we're prepared to respond and respond decisively if appropriate."
However, Price did not comment on reports of a meeting between the US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, and Iran's permanent representative to the UN, Saeid Iravani.

The opposition "Iran International" website reported that Malley met with Iravani in New York at least three times during the last two months.

"We have the means to deliver specific and firm messages to Iran when it is in America's interest to do so," he said, adding that "we're not going to get into details about how we deliver these messages, except to say that we do so in close coordination with allies and partners."

Price said that the US has consistently conveyed three messages: stop killing peaceful protesters, stop selling weapons to Russia to kill Ukrainians, and release the US citizens that were wrongfully detained.

Furthermore, the Iranian representative denied the report, asserting that Iranian officials had not held any "discussions" with US officials.

Meanwhile, Senior Advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Richard Goldberg said that the US Congress should thoroughly investigate reports regarding a meeting between Malley and the Iranian ambassador.

Goldberg stated that anyone involved in this should be asked to testify, adding that all Americans should condemn this "betrayal of the Iranian people."



US Supreme Court Approves Deportation of Migrants to South Sudan

The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File
The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File
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US Supreme Court Approves Deportation of Migrants to South Sudan

The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File
The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File

The US Supreme Court on Thursday gave the green light for the Trump administration to deport a group of migrants stranded at an American military base in Djibouti to war-torn South Sudan.

The decision by the conservative-dominated top court comes 10 days after it cleared the way for the Trump administration to deport migrants to countries that are not their own.

The eight migrants were being flown to South Sudan from the US in May but ended up in Djibouti when a district court imposed a stay on third-country deportations.

The court said migrants were not being given a "meaningful opportunity" to contest removal.

On June 23, the Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by District Judge Brian Murphy, clearing the way for third-country deportations.

But Murphy, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, said the case of the eight migrants who ended up in Djibouti was subject to a separate stay order he issued that had not been addressed by the Supreme Court.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court said its June 23 decision applied to both of the judge's orders.

Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the decision.

"What the Government wants to do, concretely, is send the eight noncitizens it illegally removed from the United States from Djibouti to South Sudan, where they will be turned over to the local authorities without regard for the likelihood that they will face torture or death," Sotomayor said.

"Today's order clarifies only one thing: Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial," she said.

The US authorities have said that the eight men -- two from Myanmar, two from Cuba, and one each from Vietnam, Laos, Mexico and South Sudan -- are convicted violent criminals.

The Trump administration has defended third-country deportations as necessary since the home nations of some of those who are targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them.

Donald Trump campaigned for president promising to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the United States, and he has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations since returning to the White House in January.